


Three Days

by heyla632



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coma, Eventual Fluff, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25345717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyla632/pseuds/heyla632
Summary: Three days passed between Rose's Darkest Day and the final Championship match between Leon and Gloria. What happened in that small stretch of time that the games never showed us?The first half of this story is on my Wattpad account under the same username but will be reposted in its entirety here. (This was previously called "Those Days" when I first posted it here, but is now called "Three Days," apologies for any confusion!)
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop/Yuuri | Gloria, Kibana | Raihan & Sonia, just a little - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	1. Before the Storm

Leon sat in the waiting room of Wyndon Stadium, trying to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. He had to do it today, before the battle with Gloria. He had to tell Raihan. He sighed, putting his face in his hands. Raihan. Oh, that man. What he would give just to have his arms around him. Said man stood just feet away, scrolling away on his phone. Leon twiddled with his thumbs, thinking of him. The smile that filled his stomach with butterflies, his relaxed yet keen eyes. Those gorgeous teal eyes. He hadn't realized how red his face had gotten until Raihan spoke up.

"You okay, man?"

"Y-yeah, why?"

"You look like you're about to explode. You that nervous?"

"I guess," Leon replied. It was true he was a little apprehensive about the battle, but it was nothing compared to how shaky he was at the prospect of confessing his feelings to Raihan. How long had he liked him?

Years. Maybe even since they took part in the Gym Challenge, what with his denial.

He had to tell him, before someone else could take him away.

"L-look, there's something I need to tell you." He started, trying not to lose his courage.

Raihan's heart skipped a beat. No way. There's no way in Galar this was happening. He's just talking about the battle, right? He's gonna tell him how scared he is of losing. That's all.

Because if Leon was going to say what he thought he was going to say, he wasn't sure he could prevent his heart from bursting out of his chest. Leon stood up, stepping over to Raihan. He'd waited too long to stop now.

Their hearts raced, their faces so tantalizingly close. Leon tipped his cap down.

Taking shaky breaths, Leon said, "I...have liked you for years now. I don't even know if you're into guys, but-"

He was cut off by the feeling of his cap being thrown off and Raihan pressing his lips against his own.

"Thank Arceus one of us was able to say it." Raihan said in a low voice. He pushed the kiss deeper, allowing his arms to wrap around Leon's waist, pulling him closer. Leon's arms wrapped around Raihan's neck as he felt small kisses being planted on his collarbone.

It lasted just a few minutes until a voice came on the intercom.

_All Trainers, to the pitch, please._

Leon begrudgingly forced himself back to reality, whoever was on the speaker for having to do so.

"You'll do great," Raihan said before letting go of him. Leon put his cap and cape on. Before he was out the door, he stopped him once more. "Hey, win or lose, I love you." With renewed resolve, Leon blushed fiercely and headed out to the field.

Just as Leon and Gloria's battle was about to begin, Rose's face and voice appeared on the stadium screen, explaining what he'd done at Hammerlocke. He and Gloria rushed off of the field, running back into the waiting rooms.

"Leon—" Raihan started, clearly having rushed back to the waiting room also. Leon grabbed his hand and sped out of the stadium, summoning his Charizard.

"Get on, there's no time!" He yelled at Raihan while climbing on the back of his Pokémon. He scrambled up the dragon behind Leon, holding on to his waist. "Go, Char!" The Charizard's large wings spread wide and launched them into the air, shooting them towards Hammerlocke Stadium.


	2. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan waits outside of Hammerlocke Castle, awaiting Leon's return.

Minutes later, Charizard landed in front of Hammerlocke castle. They hadn't spoken a word on the flight to the city, as fear and worry struck both of them. What would happen if Hammerlocke was destroyed, only for the rest of Galar to follow suit? They both slid off of Charizard's back and faced each other.

"You've got to evacuate the city. If anything happens to the plant, these citizens will be affected first. We can't let them get hurt." Leon ordered.

"What about you?"  
"I'm going to face Rose and whatever he's done," he decided. After a bit of hesitation, Raihan made to run to the nearest house, but Leon had grabbed his arm.

"Raihan, if— if you come back here and things haven't calmed down yet, please...please don't go up. I don't know how dangerous—"

"If it's dangerous, then wouldn't it be good if you have backup—?"

"If it's dangerous, I don't think I could—" Leon choked on his words. "I don't think I could handle seeing you get hurt." He wrapped his arms around Raihan's neck once more. "Please, just stay down here where it's at least more safe than up there. You'll have time to escape if anything—" Leon was clearly struggling to get the words out. "If anything goes wrong." 

Raihan wanted to point out how he would feel if something happened to Leon while he faced Rose, but he couldn't find the words. Instead, he held Leon close by the waist and kissed the top of his head.

"Be careful." It was all he could say without filling his mind with what might happen. A few seconds more, and Leon was gone.

It was lucky all of Raihan's Gym Trainers and staff had shown up, for the evacuation had taken far less time than he feared. After dismissing them to evacuate themselves and their families, he started on his dreaded walk back to the castle. He had stood there for several minutes when Hop and Gloria arrived.

Hop had rushed into the castle upon hearing that his brother was inside, and Raihan gave Gloria a vague and foreboding monologue. After she too had entered the castle, he sat down on the asphalt and stared at the top of the building, where an intense battle could be heard in the distance. He could only hope that Leon was winning.

More time passed, and he heard footsteps approaching him from behind, the person putting their hand on Raihan's shoulder.

"Raihan! Hey, what's going on?" Sonia asked, kneeling next to him. Having not been at the match, she wasn't filled in. He explained the situation to her, putting effort into trying to keep his voice steady. "You sound a little shaken, are you okay?" She asked, a genuine look of concern on her face.

"I—I'm just worried." He debated telling her what happened in the locker room. "Sonia, promise me you won't look at us any differently." He looked her in the eye, minuscule tears forming in his own.

"What? Raihan, come on, of course I promise. Tell me," she said, moving so that she kneeled directly in front of him, her hands on his shoulders.

"Leon and I became official just before the match started. I just got him and now I might lose him to Rose's Darkest Day 2.0." He gestured to the top of the tower with one hand and covered his eyes with the other. "It's so stupid, I feel like I'm unravelling, why am I reacting like this—" Sonia had wrapped her arms around him, cutting him off. 

"Arceus, Raihan, don't scare me like that, I thought you'd done something horrible. You guys have been obvious for years, and there's no way I'd treat you two any differently. And don't be ashamed that you're unravelling, it just shows that you _care_. You don't have to hold it in, being worried for him is only natural. I know Leon would be thankful that you didn't go into the castle like he asked, he's doing this to protect you. He's willing to sacrifice himself if it means you get to walk away from this alive. I'm sure that if Leon saw you right now, it would only make him more motivated to save Galar, to save _you_." After taking a few deep breaths, Raihan's eyes filled with tears and he returned Sonia's hug.

"Thank you," he managed. She smiled gently at him, pulling away.

_"SONIA!"_

_"RAIHAN!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters feel a lot longer as I'm writing them, but reading them through they feel so short. Do you guys want me to post the next chapter today? I was going to post one chapter a day but I do have the next one written out.


	3. At What Cost?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop and Gloria won the battle against Eternatus, but at what cost?

Hop and Gloria appeared at the entrance of the castle, struggling to carry an unconscious Leon between them. Both Sonia and Raihan jumped and ran forward to aid them, their worst fears confirmed. As they transferred Leon to their shoulders, they shot out questions as they stepped away from the castle.

"What happened?!"

"Is he alive?!"

"We went inside the castle, Rose had unleashed this Pokémon called Eternatus to bring about another Darkest Day and 'save energy' or something, and we both battled him. He let us get to the top of the castle where Leon was battling the thing, but he couldn't catch it, and it did this weird power move that knocked Leon out, but we didn't get hurt because he'd ordered his Charizard to shield us from the blast—"

Raihan inhaled sharply, tears reforming, both mortified by and proud of Leon's selflessness. 

"It Dynamaxed and broke off pieces of the castle to become even bigger, but then we took out the rusty sword and shield that we found in the Slumbering Weald. The legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta appeared and helped us take out Eternatus. Gloria was able to capture it thanks to Leon and the legendaries," Hop finished. Both adults glanced at Gloria, whose gaze was hardened, a fist wrapped angrily around a slightly scratched Premier Ball. 

"Are you alright, Gloria?" Sonia asked. Gloria's face scrunched up slightly, and swallowed before speaking.

"It wasn't worth it." She replied.

"What do you mean?" Raihan asked.

"I'd rather Leon be awake right now than be in possession of the thing that knocked him out. We don't know what it did to him, we don't know if he'll wake up!" She yelled angrily. "I never want to see this Pokémon again," she sobbed, tears spilling freely down her face as she glared at the Pokéball in her fist. Sonia placed her free arm around Gloria, who hugged her tightly in return. Raihan did the same to Hop, who had become steadily more distraught as Gloria spoke. 

"Leon will be fine. He's endured everything he's been through so far. It'll take a lot more than one strange Pokémon for him to be beat. Don't worry, I'll stay by his side until he comes to," Raihan reassured them. Sonia smiled at him. 

The four conscious Trainers summoned Pokémon to Fly them to Galar's hospital, with Raihan having used his jacket to tie Leon to him by the waist to keep him from slipping away. They all quickly set to the skies, landing feet away from the hospital entrance. Raihan undid the jacket and carried Leon bridal-style into the building, Leon's head carefully tucked under Raihan's chin as he walked. 

Leon was quickly admitted to a room, and the four of them sat several feet away from his bed as doctors and nurses assessed him. They’d concluded that Leon was in critical condition, his body doing the bare minimum to survive.

"Hey, call your mom, would you, Hop?" Raihan suggested. Hop nodded, pulling out his Rotom and dialing his mother's number as he stepped out of the room.

"You should do the same, Gloria. I'm sure your mother would want to know where you are." Sonia said, patting Gloria's shoulder.

"Yeah," she agreed, removing her phone from her pocket and following Hop. Sonia sat down next to Raihan and took his hand.

"I'm real proud of you, Raihan," she smiled. 

Raihan chuckled. "What for?"

"For being strong for the kids. For Leon. He'd be so thankful for you taking care of his brother."

"Heh, I should be thanking you. I wouldn't have been able to pull myself together if you hadn't shown up at Hammerlocke. 

"Well, you would've done the same for me. I'm not letting my two best friends fall apart on me, now." She laughed. Hop and Gloria reentered the room, both adults glancing over at them. 

"Moms are coming," Gloria said. "They took the first Flying Taxi over here." She and Hop sank into the same armchair, slowly dozing off. Raihan got up, walking towards the table where Leon's clothes were neatly folded. He took Leon's cape and draped it over Hop and Gloria, the fluffy fabric large enough to serve as a blanket.

After several minutes, both mothers stepped quietly into the room, Leon and Hop's mother hurrying over to Leon's bedside. Gloria's mother hugged Raihan and Sonia, thanking them. After spending some time in the room, she took Gloria home to get some proper rest. Afterwards, a nurse came into the room.

"Mr. Raihan? Ms. Sonia?" They quickly looked up at her. "I think it's best to let the family have some time alone with Mr. Leon," she stated. They began to stand up when Leon's mother stepped over.

"Oh, thank you, but I think it's alright. They're both childhood friends of my son, they can stay.” The nurse nodded, smiled, and left the room. “You both can stay as long as you’d like, but Raihan, you can sleep here tonight if you prefer,” she offered, a knowing but friendly look on her face.

“Did someone tell you—?” Raihan started, confused. She laughed a little.

“Technically, Leon did. Back when you three were still younger, he’d come home every day talking about you two. But there was something in his voice that changed a little whenever he spoke of you.”

Sonia nudged Raihan with her elbow. “Told you you guys were obvious.”

“I knew he liked you even back then, but I could tell that something had changed between you two when Hop told me you carried him into the hospital.” He glanced at Hop, who was asleep on the armchair he had shared with Gloria, letting out a small laugh. “Well, anyway, like I said, stay as long as you like, and my offer still stands. I can let the staff know you’re staying. Just make sure you eat and continue proper hygiene, okay? And _sleep well_.” She said, putting emphasis on the last two words. She hugged them both, kissed Leon on the cheek, and took Hop home.

“Alright, I should get going too. Call me if anything happens. See you tomorrow,” Sonia said, hugging Raihan and leaving the hospital too. The hospital staff provided a blanket and some pillows, baffling him when one of the nurses showed him that the armchair reclined. Raihan glanced at his beloved once more before drifting off into sleep. He kept waking up every few hours, but it was enough for him to function the next day.


	4. Sonia's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonia just might've discovered a way to get Leon back. It's experimental and extremely risky, but she thinks it's worth a shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's pretty dialogue-heavy, sorry if this chapter seems a little boring. Had to iron things out story-wise and make sure I wasn't just spitting out words. This chapter features Leon & Hop's mother, and since she's unnamed in the games, I decided to give her one to avoid calling her "Leon & Hop's mother" repeatedly. The name I gave her is NOT canon!

Raihan woke the next day and looked over at Leon, who was still out cold. He gave Leon’s hand a small kiss, closing his eyes as he did so. He left his blanket and pillows organized neatly on the armchair, signed out of the hospital’s visiting list, and went back to Hammerlocke to shower and bring back some work to do while accompanying Leon. 

As he gathered paperwork from his desk, his thoughts returned to the previous day. 

_We don’t know what it did to him, we don’t know if he’ll wake up!_ Gloria’s voice rang in his ears. 

_What if he doesn’t?_

Raihan leaned heavily on his desk, both hands flat on the surface. He’d been doing a good job of not filling his head with “what-ifs” until now. He could feel his face burn and his stomach clench. He took deep breaths and shut his eyes to prevent himself from crying, because he didn’t know if he would be able to stop. Trying to make himself feel better, he thought of things he would do with Leon once all of this was done and over with. 

He imagined himself sitting with Leon on the top of the stairs at Hammerlocke Hills, gazing at the stars with their hands intertwined. He saw them sitting under the tree at Axew’s Eye, a tent nearby and their Pokémon exploring the area. He thought of inviting Leon to the best balcony of Hammerlocke Castle and presenting him with an Applin. He imagined kissing Leon in the middle of the pitch after a battle, in front of all of Galar. 

The side of him that doubted Leon’s return quickly soured his daydreams. 

_If he doesn’t wake up, you’ll never get the chance to do those with him._

Raihan sank to the floor, leaning against one of the table legs, covering his mouth as silent tears rolled down his face. He sat there for several minutes until his phone started buzzing, shocking him out of his trance. Sonia was calling. He wiped his face and answered it.

“You just gonna keep comin’ to my rescue, huh?” He chuckled weakly. She smiled.

“Had a feeling. Anyway, come back to the hospital. I’ve brought some of my research, we’re gonna try to see what’s wrong with Leon and figure out a way to get him back. His nurses said he’s doing better than yesterday, but just barely.”

“Alright, I'm on my way.” Pulling himself back together, he organized a storage clipboard to bring with him and left for the hospital. 

Sonia had placed her laptop and a few notebooks of information on a table, writing things down as she paced the room. Gloria and Hop were also in the room when Raihan entered. 

“Okay, now that we’re all here, let’s get started. Gloria, when you caught Eternatus, your Pokédex should have updated, correct?” Sonia asked, pointing at her. She nodded, pulling out her Rotom. “There must be something in the information there that can help us understand it.”

Gloria read the entry aloud. “‘Eternatus, the Gigantic Pokémon. The core on its chest absorbs energy emanating from the lands of the Galar region. This energy is what allows Eternatus to stay active. It was inside a meteorite that fell 20,000 years ago. There seems to be a connection between this Pokémon and the Dynamax phenomenon.’”

“Alright, but what is that supposed to mean?” Raihan muttered. 

“When we were on top of the castle, before he—you know—Leon did say that Eternatus was preventing his Pokémon from Dynamaxing,” Hop offered. 

“It doesn’t explain what it did to Leon, it’s not like he can Dynamax,” Sonia stated.

“Wait, there’s—there’s another entry. For Eternatus. It says it has another form called Eternamax Eternatus,” Gloria realized. “‘As a result of Rose's meddling, Eternatus absorbed all the energy in the Galar region. It's now in a state of power overload. Infinite amounts of energy pour from this Pokémon's enlarged core, warping the surrounding space-time.’”

“Since Leon was so close, do you think it just sucked out all his energy or something?” Raihan guessed. 

“Wait, Hop, Gloria, what happened to Leon’s Charizard after the blast?” Sonia questioned, writing more information down in her notebooks.

“It collapsed on the ground like Leon did. Didn’t even go back into its Pokéball.” Gloria answered.

“I recalled it after Gloria caught Eternatus. Hold on, I have his Pokéballs here.” Hop took off his bag and rummaged through the contents, retrieving the Pokéball of Leon’s signature Charizard. 

“Have you brought it to a Pokémon Center since the battle yesterday?” Sonia asked.

“No, I just...Haven’t had the chance to.” Hop replied. Sonia picked up one of her notebooks, gave the Pokéball back to Hop, and started out the door.

“Then let’s go.” She said with a determined smile.

“What, does she think Charizard’s just gonna tell us how to wake up Leon?” Gloria grumbled, sinking into one of the room’s armchairs. Raihan pulled a stool next to Leon’s bedside and sat on it. He took one of Leon’s hands in his and sighed. He tried to find any glint of gold in Leon’s eyes, but they were firmly shut, hidden from Raihan and the world. He tried to speak, wanting to say something even slightly encouraging to his boyfriend, but couldn’t find the words. He put his head down on the bed, still holding Leon’s hand. He had only fallen asleep for a few minutes when Hop and Sonia came back.

“Raihan!” Sonia said eagerly, placing a hand on his back. “I think we’ve figured something out.” She waited until Raihan sat up fully and had shaken off the grogginess before she continued. “We went to the Pokémon Center and healed up Charizard, and it worked. He’s back to full health, walking around like nothing happened yesterday.”

“Okay…?” Raihan wondered. 

“We know that Eternatus has power over energy, and it probably sucked out almost all of Leon and Charizard’s energy, hence why they simply collapsed. So, what if we just need to restore Leon’s energy?”

“What, bring him to a Pokémon Center?” Gloria joked. Her jaw dropped when Hop and Sonia didn’t respond, only looking at her with blank faces.

Raihan stood up. “Whoa, whoa, we don’t even know if Pokémon Centers are safe for people, what if it just makes it worse—”

“Come on, guys, I’m not that dense. I’m just saying, since Eternatus took Leon’s energy, don’t you think it could give it back?” 

“Sonia, not all Pokémon are completely obedient when you catch them, what if he betrays us and hurts Leon even more?” Gloria said.

“Most Pokémon won’t do anything without your command, and you have all the badges. Plus, Raihan, Hop and I will be right beside you when we try it, so if Eternatus does try anything, we can take it down quickly. I’ve got security measures planned in case anything goes wrong. Guys, I think this is really worth a try.” She turned to Raihan, who had sat back down on the stool with his head down. She crouched in front of him and took hold of his hands, talking only so he could hear. “Listen, Raihan, you know I don’t do things carelessly, and I would never do this without your and Leon’s mother’s permission. I just…” she sighed. “I did some calculations, and...at the speed that Leon is recovering, for his body to get back to a normal functioning rate, it’d take…a while.”

“How long?” Raihan asked, his teal eyes piercing her mint green ones. 

She sighed, looking away for a second. “Raihan…”

“How long?” He said in a more stern voice than he had ever used with Sonia. Hop and Gloria looked at each other with uncertainty. He sighed, gently squeezing her hands and looking down. “I’m sorry. I’m just...so fucking scared that I’m gonna lose him.”

“I know. It’s okay.” She squeezed his hands back, giving him a gentle smile. “It’d take...it’d take two years, accounting for how active he is and his general lifestyle. He’s not exactly one to take life slowly, right?”

“Two years…” Raihan said, letting it sink in. He couldn’t imagine not being able to be around a conscious Leon for two years. He wouldn’t hear his laughs, the ones that made Raihan’s heart warm. He wouldn’t see those gorgeous golden eyes. He wouldn’t feel Leon’s arms around him, wrapping him in a hug filled with love. The thoughts alone made Raihan’s heart drop. 

“You don’t have to make a decision right now. I’m going to their mother’s house today and explain all this to her and get her approval. Do you want to come with?” Sonia asked.

“Sure. Let’s get going.” He made a temporary goodbye to Leon while Sonia called a Flying Taxi. Hop made sure his mother knew they were coming. Gloria gathered up Sonia’s things and the four of them took off to Postwick.

They exited the cab, and Sonia knocked on the door. It opened just a few seconds later, revealing Amra, Hop and Leon’s mother.

“Hi, Ms. Amra!” She greeted, giving her a cheerful hug.

“Oh, hello, dear!” She smiled, hugging each of them (especially Hop) as they walked in. Her eyes looked a little tired, which was only to be expected, given that her eldest child was currently in a coma. This only made Sonia more set on getting Leon back on his feet. They sat down around the kitchen table, and after a little bit of chatting and snacking, they got down to business, explaining Sonia’s plan and Leon’s state.

“Of course, you don’t have to decide today. I know it’s a lot to think about. Ms. Amra, I would never do something like this without getting your permission first. I’m just putting this out there as an idea that could possibly bring Leon back. Please remember, all of this is very experimental, so I don’t want you to feel pressured in any kind of way to make this decision.” Sonia reassured her. 

Amra’s eyes teared up a little bit, and she nodded. “Thank you, Sonia. And please, just Amra for you, dear. You too, Raihan. You two should’ve started calling me Amra years ago,” she chuckled. “Well, I think it’s best if I take some time to think about this, weigh the consequences out. Thank you for everything you’ve done for our family, all of you.” She looked around at each person at the table with warm eyes and a sincere smile. She hugged her son, who sat nearest to her, and he returned the embrace.

“Of course,” Sonia said. “Well, I’m going to go continue my research and preparations. Thank you, Amra!” She got up, they said their goodbyes, and the four Trainers exited the house. 

“Alright, I’ve got tasks for the three of you,” she started.

“Gloria, I need you and Hop to spend some time with Eternatus. It is your Pokémon now, after all. You bonding with it will reduce the chance that it’ll disobey your commands. It’s very important that it trusts you. And it wouldn’t hurt for you to become friends, either. Holding grudges against this Pokémon won’t do you any good, trust me. So, go out into the Wild Area, battle with it, go camping with it, make it some curry, build a bond. We’ll meet up again tomorrow, okay?”

“Got it!” Hop and Gloria cheered. Gloria fished out Eternatus’ Pokéball from her bag and gave it a small but determined smile.

“Raihan, don’t worry, you’ve got an important job too. I need you to find and train up a Pokémon that can learn Sing.”

“Sing? Like an Eldegoss or something?” Raihan asked, putting a hand in his pocket.

“Exactly. If Eternatus tries anything, we need something that will take it out fast. Sing will put it to sleep and buy us time to get whoever’s hurt out of there and take it down. Hopefully, we won’t even have to use it. But, since it’s basically our last resort, it’s gotta be top tier.”

“Yeah. Max accuracy, best nature, perfect IVs. Gotcha. See you later.” The four of them exchanged hugs, and set off on their quests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I was trying to find a way for this to make sense without it being completely farfetched. Hope it all made sense!


	5. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to put Sonia's plan into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I was going to release this a few days ago, and I finished writing it not long after, but then I completely forgot to post it. The wait for the next chapter won't be so long, I promise!

Raihan had fallen asleep that night in Leon’s hospital room in the same armchair, his Eldegoss’s Pokéball clutched in his fist. The only reason why he had gone through the whole night without waking up was because of pure exhaustion. He’d only had a small breakfast that morning, and it quickly dissipated with all of his training. He’d collapsed on the reclined armchair, shoes still on, blanket off, stomach complaining. Sonia had a fit the next day.

“Raihan, what on _earth_ do you think starving yourself is gonna do?” She said, shoving a platter of food into his lap. She’d bought the four of them breakfast and they ate on benches just outside of the hospital. He lifted the breakfast sandwich to his mouth, his hands shaking slightly. 

“Thank you,” he grumbled, moping at the fact that his friend who was almost a foot shorter than him was scolding him. Hop and Gloria giggled, and Hop choked on his breakfast wrap when he saw that Raihan was fake glaring at him, which made Gloria laugh harder.

“Well, don’t you two seem chipper today!” Sonia laughed as she ate. Gloria managed to get her food down without choking and pulled out Eternatus’ Premier Ball.

“Yeah, because yesterday went great! We spent pretty much the whole day camping, bonding with Eternatus, and just messing around.” She looked at Hop fondly. “It was nice not worrying about strategy and making sure my team is in top condition.” Hop gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

“It was nice seeing you so carefree instead of working yourself to death at the Lake of Outrage like you normally do.” 

“And how do you know I train at the Lake of Outrage?” Gloria asked jokingly, making Hop stick his tongue out at her. Sonia gave them a mushy “Awwww!” and Raihan simply huffed with an “About time!” 

“So what’d you do yesterday after we left, Sonia?” Hop asked. 

“I got permission from the Galar Institutional Analysis Association to go ahead with this experiment. Usually, it takes ages and ages for them to make a decision, but I worked out every little kink and issue so that they had no choice but to decide. I’ve got all the paperwork back in Leon’s ward, we shouldn’t run into any problems about there being an illegal experiment.”

“Well look at you, Professor!” Gloria cheered, making Sonia beam. She turned to Raihan.

“And how did your Eldegoss Expedition go?” He shoved the rest of his breakfast sandwich in his mouth and fished an Ultra Ball out of his pocket. From it, he summoned a healthy Eldegoss, which came out of its Pokéball bouncing around joyfully. 

“Level sixty-five,” he managed to say without spitting. She smiled, and he got up to dispose of their trash. “If you couldn’t tell, I’m supportive of your plan.” He joked.

“Great! All we have to do now is wait for Amra’s decision.”

“I suppose the waiting’s over then, isn’t it?” Amra laughed. She walked towards them, a gentle smile on her face. “Let’s do this. I want my son back.” Sonia’s eyes widened, and the five of them entered the hospital to begin Sonia’s plan. 

They set up an area for the experiment in a clearing outside of the hospital. With Eternatus being fifteen feet (about 4.5 meters) tall, the procedure needed to be done outdoors. They stood in a rounded V formation to face Gloria and Eternatus, with Leon in the center. Raihan and Hop stood on either side of his bed, and Amra stood on Hop’s left with Sonia on Raihan’s right. A nurse stood behind Leon, ready to remove him from the situation should anything go wrong. 

Gloria moved to face everyone a good distance away, then let Eternatus out of its Pokéball. The gargantuan Pokémon appeared in a bright flash of harmless light. It studied its surroundings for a moment and started to become slightly apprehensive with the way everyone was nervously looking at it. Gloria gently put a hand on a part of it that she could reach.

“It’s okay, they’re not here to hurt you or me,” she reassured. “It’s just in case.” The Pokémon looked at her. “Can you give Leon his energy back, please? I know you took it when he fought you. It’s alright, you were probably just scared at the time.” She offered a small smile. She had no idea how tense Eternatus was, but the Pokémon’s core began to glow. A beam of red light came from its mouth and shot at Leon, who instantly began to show signs of life, his head moving ever so slightly and his brows furrowing. 

“How long, Sonia?” Gloria yelled. Sonia had a stopwatch in her hand, her eyes glued to the timer displayed on its screen. 

“Two minutes!” She replied. “In two minutes, we’ll have Leon completely back to normal!” A determined grin was on her face. Eternatus’ beam stayed on Leon the whole time, and the others stared on nervously. 

It was the longest two minutes of Raihan’s life.

“Three...two...one...NOW!” Sonia yelled, and Gloria gave Eternatus a command, and the beam disappeared. Leon’s eyes fluttered open.

“...Guys?” He muttered groggily. Raihan’s heart lifted, and he ran forward to his bedside, only for Eternatus to startle and quickly fire a short blue beam at Raihan, sending him sprawling onto the ground. 

And then his world was black.

-

“...At least Leon’s okay now, he seems to have recovered from everything pretty well. Hopefully Raihan will be the same.” Raihan thinks it’s Gloria’s voice.

“Yes, it was a short blast, so maybe he’ll be awake soon? I’d rather not try to use Eternatus again,” He heard Sonia say. He tested moving different parts of his body, noticing several sore spots, especially his shoulder. When he tried to move it, he had to hold in a groan.

“I’m not sure how this energy stuff works, but after taking a look, his injuries are very minor. He’s only got a few scratches and bruises, and aside from his dislocated shoulder, he’s perfectly fine.” That was the nurse, he thought. Dislocated shoulder, huh? Well, that explained it. That also explained the cloth that wrapped his arm. Now that he thought about it, he noticed his jacket was gone. The cold of the room suddenly struck him, and he forced his eyes to slowly open. 

“Hey,” He groaned. “Lee okay?” Sonia, the nurse, and Gloria all perked up at his voice, Sonia approaching him.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s in another room getting a final examination. How are you feeling?” She asked with a small smile.

“I’m a li’l sore, but ‘m fine.” Sonia stroked his cheek. The nurse stepped forward with a small bottle in her hands.

“Just a few painkillers. No lasting damage, but you dislocated your shoulder when you fell. You’ll be able to go back to your normal life in about two weeks, but no heavy lifting or strenuous activity for about a month, okay?” Raihan nodded and she handed him the bottle. She smiled at Sonia and Gloria and left the room. Gloria stepped to Raihan’s bedside, wringing her hat in her hands.

“Hey, Raihan, I’m sorry, I thought Eternatus would be fine after we’d spent so much time with it, but it just—” 

“Hey, hey, it’s not a big deal. I’m fine, Leon’s fine, there’s no lasting damage.” Raihan reassured her. Honestly, he was genuinely touched that Gloria was so worried. 

“But there could have been! You could’ve gotten really hurt and we could’ve gotten a repeat of Leon’s coma,” she whined. Raihan ruffled her hair.

“But we didn’t. C’mon, kid, come here,” he said, pulling her into a hug which she gratefully accepted. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, pulling away after a moment.

“Thanks. I was just scared, y’know, after everything that’s happened this week,” she said. He smiled.

“Don’t worry about it. I appreciate the sentiment. Now, do you guys wanna check in on Leon or are we just gonna sit here and stare at my arm the whole day?”

-

Leon’s final checkup had just ended, and somehow he managed to arrange for the championship rematch to take place in two days. He was now back in his normal clothes except for Raihan’s jacket on top. He doesn’t remember when he put it on, but Raihan’s smell all around him felt really nice and he didn’t really want to take it off. 

“How come I didn’t hear about you two,” Hop pouted jokingly. Leon laughed, fidgeting with the string of the dragon hoodie.

“Well, I would’ve told you, but it happened right before the match, and I couldn’t really find any time.” Hop and their mother laughed now too. The scent of Raihan surrounding him was making him almost lethargic. There was a knock on the open door, and Sonia and Gloria walked into the room.

“Hey, Leon. Everything alright now?” Sonia asked. He pulled the top of the jacket up to his nose and took a deep breath.

“Yes.” He smiled. She rolled her eyes playfully.

“Alright, well, before we let you see Raihan, you’ve gotta know that he dislocated his shoulder when he fell, so you have to be careful with him. You can’t be as rough with him as you’d probably like to be.” Leon nodded.

“Yes, Leon, especially when you get back home with him,” Amra giggled. At this, Leon’s face burned a bright red.

“MOM!” He laughed, pulling up the hood and tugging on the strings to hide his flushed face.

“Alright, alright, I think we’ve kept the two idiots away from each other long enough, c’mon, let’s give them some privacy,” Gloria suggested, a grin on her face too. The room emptied out, leaving Leon sitting on the side of his bed, his legs swinging just above the floor. He looked up at the door when he heard footsteps.

“So, did you actually understand what Sonia was saying, or were you too wrapped up in my smell?”

Raihan.

Leon stood, removed the hood, and walked slowly towards Raihan with a grin. He wrapped his hands around Raihan’s waist.

“Oh, I understood. Sonia said—” He placed a kiss on Raihan’s chest.

“—That you were hurt—” Another to his injured shoulder.

“—And that I need to pamper you—” One more to Raihan’s neck.

“—Until we can properly make up for lost time.” He kissed him on the lips. Leon cupped the underside of Raihan’s jaw as he hooked his arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Raihan sighed into the kiss, letting his hand reach the small of Leon’s back. He made to move his other hand to Leon’s face but winced when his shoulder complained, remembering why his arm was in a sling. Leon pulled away slightly, a worried look on his face.

“Hey, it’s okay. Just take it easy, love. I’m still here.” Leon let go of him for a moment to wrap one of his arms around Raihan’s waist again, the other going to caress his injured arm. Now he was placing feather-light kisses on Raihan’s shoulder, making him lean down to graze his head against Leon’s, gently sighing and melting into the touch.

“I missed you,” Raihan exhaled. He could feel Leon’s smile against his shirt. He looked up at him, eyes filled with love and warmth and—were those _tears?_ “Lee…?” He said, worry beginning to etch into his face.

“I missed you too. No, no, I’m fine, I just—just didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much,” he said bashfully, burying his face in Raihan’s chest once more. Raihan laughed, a quiet, endearing chuckle that was music to Leon’s ears. Raihan really had a way of making Leon _weak._

“You’re telling me. I would carry you back, but, y’know. Come on,” He says, guiding Leon to head to Hammerlocke.


End file.
